Stranded!

 

I hinted yesterday that we're embarking on a new series here at Less Cake {more frosting}. It's been so much fun this year to have the LCMF SHARE on our Facebook page. I've been trying to find my favorite items from my reader and share them with you. I'm completely BLOWN-AWAY and always humbled by the amount of talent out there.

This new series will be another way to share the love, by introducing you to guest bloggers who are super talented.

But rather than a show-and-tell type guest post, or something just random, I've asked that the guest posters go with this new theme:

IF I WAS STRANDED 

ON A CRAFTING DESERT ISLAND

WHAT ONE ITEM COULD I 

NOT DO WITHOUT?

Hopefully, this will help introduce us to the things that our peers love, and new ways to use those things.

I'm REALLY excited, and have our first guest scheduled for TOMORROW.  YAY!!!!



Today, I thought I'd show you something that I can't do without!

My first thought, was my undying love for my Silhouette Machine (whom I've named Miss Scarlett)  But I worry that those of you who don't have that machine might feel that you can't make ANYTHING anymore.  And I understand that feeling!!

So, instead, the item I can't do without is:

Fonts!

I adore fonts, and typography.  And the amazing thing about them, is that you can find 1,000's of great ones all over the web....FOR FREE!  And nothing is better than FREE!

I have over 900 fonts on my computer.  And I probably should clean some of them out.  But I really don't wanna.  So there.

I adore putting my fonts together to make art, quotes, cards....the possibilities are endless.



Here's a fun "font" project that I made for the CSI project a couple weeks back.  It would be a great project for a gift, or just for yourself.  Any quote.  Any embellishment!

• I started by finding a quote I wanted to use. 
• Then I had my Silhouette machine (Miss Scarlett) cut it out of freezer paper for me.

you absolutely don't need to have a craft cutter to use words on your projects. You can use an exacto knife....and a saintly amount of patience!

• Then I extracted all the letters from my paper.  CAREFULLY!

• The hardest part of this process is getting your stencil set.  Don't lose ANY pieces to the insides of your letters.  You have to keep the inside of "O" or the triangle from "A"

• I ironed the freezer paper onto a PLAIN WHITE CANVAS BAG.  Super cheap.
• Set your freezer paper on your bag, and iron for about 30 seconds on the hottest setting
• Make sure that the steam is not on!

• When I'm doing Typography, I like to think of it in "layers".  You need to paint that way too.  Which "layer" needs to go on first?
• This time, my damask decoration needed to go on first.

I use regular craft paint, with a fabric medium added to it, when I paint on fabric.  You can find it at any craft store.  It makes the paint flexible, washable, and FABULOUS!

• I did this with a paper towel, that was VERY blotted before use.  It's a cool look.

• Continuing moving layer by layer, color by color.
• I like to remove the freezer paper when my paint is still wet.  It gives cleaner lines.  But it also means risking getting wet paint all over.  The answer?  Tweezers.  They work wonders!

After I got my "typography" done, I pulled out some fabric scraps to spruce up my bag just a little more.

Because I cannot leave well enough, alone....I ended up sewing a band of fabric around the top.  Sewing ruffles to the handles. And adding some fabric flowers as well.

One cannot tote a PLAIN bag with a quote about "creativity" on it.  

That would be complete madness!

 

The quote reads:

You can't use up creativity.

The more you use,

the more you have.

     -maya angelou

So there you have it.  When stranded, I gotta have my FONTS!

I'm so excited to get started on this fun new series!

What would you not be able to do without?

Would you be interested in sharing your favorite creative necessities with the Less Cake {more frosting} readers?  I am planning on running this fun series for a few months, and would love to have people to share!  EMAIL-ME if you're interested!